Two months ago, we announced the release date of Go Radio’s deluxe edition of Lucky Street. It has finally arrived and we couldn’t be happier with all the time we waited.

After tapping my fingers and waiting in front of my computer for my pre-order to become available on iTunes, I nearly jumped out of my bed and woke my roommate with my screaming. The only plus side to living on the west coast, beside the absence of frosty car windows in the morning at this time of year, is that while it’s midnight on the east coast, it’s still early here. So what if we miss every single television show and every plot twist gets spoiled on Twitter before we even get a chance to watch the open credits…We get the Go Radio album without waiting until the wee hours of the morning to listen to it! As of this point, Go Radio’s eight bonus tracks have been played over two-hundred and ten times on my iTunes alone—not counting the iPhone plays or the times they’ve been repeated in my head. That might just be my personal affinity for Go Radio showing through though. Now let’s get down to brass tacks.

‘Ready or Not,’ the first of the bonus tracks on Lucky Street (Deluxe Edition), is a polished rock track with carefully structured layers and specific elements adding to the overall sound of the finished piece. The track is probably the most structured of the bonus features next to the ‘Rolling In The Deep’ cover, and the peppier ‘Worth All The While’ but in no way is that a bad thing. ‘Ready or Not’ feeds any thirst for a louder, head-nod worthy, guitar and drum backed sound. As always, the opening track always offers a sample of universally relatable lyrics to come.

Contrasting the stentorian bonus opener is an almost conversational ‘Stay Gone.’ Close your eyes and it sounds like an intimate Go Radio concert—a noisy little cafe, a wooden stool on a landing in the corner, an acoustic guitar and heartfelt lyrics echoing above the chatter. The song offers a nice change of pace from the emotionless, auto tuned, meaningless fodder that often fills the top charts but falls into the same realm as fan favorite ‘Goodnight Moon,’ which also makes an appearance as a bonus, heartwrenching acoustic track. It’s more than obvious Go Radio’s lyrics are a little more genuine and heartfelt than say LMFAO, no matter how much they may believe in the fact that they’re “sexy and they know it,” and it shows in all of their tracks.

The only thing that could possibly make those lyrics and masterful instrumental supports better would be Jason Lancaster’s raw vocals. The honesty of the lyrics really shine through with the raspy, raw, yet impeccably delivered vocals. Let’s not forget the vocal support, equally as fervent and sincere as the lead. The minimalism, no-frills approach to ‘Thanks For Nothing,’ ‘Any Other Heart’ and ‘Forever My Father’ make the meaningful lyrics the focal point. All we can say here at Stork Music is that we can’t wait for anything and everything else Go Radio to be released.

By the way, check out their newly released music video for ‘Goodnight Moon!’

Also this interview we did with Alex from Go Radio at Warped Tour this summer!

Jon White fronts a one-man band called If This Is a Man. His digital album, Random Acts of Kindness Have Saved Lives, is now available on bandcamp.

White creates his songs in his makeshift bedroom recording studio, with “…Just me, a pretty battered electric guitar, an acoustic, a bass, piano and an incredibly noisy and slow computer.” The mellow, complex layering of the tracks are somewhat reminiscent of an Imogen Heap, Pretty Lights and Bon Iver mashup.

At the age of seven or eight, White was captivated by an album called Morning Glory. At the age of thirteen, the budding musician picked up a guitar and found piano a logical accompaniment. White also muddled with drums, but says he never was quite so good with them.

The spacey, indie tunes are described by White as “a mix of genres really, slowcore, psychedelic, acoustic folk, electronica, melancholy, indie, 90’s jangley emo with slightly spacey vocals and lyrics.” A prime example of the crossover genre is ‘Your Old Room.’ The single opens with a simple piano, soon accompanied by a raw, quieter set of vocals. The piano intensifies deeper into the track, but slows to a set of beats near the middle, showing the complexity and layers of the album.

The lyricism of the unique tracks come from life experience, “I just write about ideas I have and feelings about relationships with people and concepts, they can be a bit philosophical sometimes and a bit romantic sometimes, sad sometimes, hopeful sometimes, it’s not all sort of focused with one aim. I never sort of sit down and go right, I’m gonna write a song about love, or feeling lost or whatever I just write what comes naturally,” says White.

Overall, the tracks off Random Acts of Kindness Have Saved Lives are undoubtedly original. If This Is a Man offers an alternative soundtrack to your evening, a good record to wind down to.

You can listen to the album on bandcamp and get more information about If This Is a Man on FaceBook and follow his blog here.